Wednesday, May 12, 2010

Angela Celdran Dela Calzada: 10 things I've learned from Gilbert Teodoro


The Greatest President We Never Had

As I write this, I am holding back tears. It is not because I don't like Noynoy Aquino, nor because I think Erap being allowed to run again and now come second in this race is a joke, but because about 90% of my voting countrymen allowed a good thing slip through their fingers... yet again.

I read a comment someone posted on the GT fan page that said the Philippines will never cease to be a third world country, because the Filipinos keep thinking like one. It's a tragedy that we repeatedly refuse to acknowledge our islands' limitless potential. By electing the same kind of people over and over again to lead our nation, we are consciously closing our minds and hearts to a new era in politics; where mudslinging and dirty tactics can become obsolete. It really is a shame.

Sour graping is the easiest thing in the world. I could whine, complain and write angry hate notes and messages about how stupid, inane and terrifically idiotic we've now made ourselves out to be. I could congratulate the 12 million Filipinos for damning us to 6 years of shame, blame and online games. There are so many delightfully snarky things I could say that would probably make me feel better. But this time, I won't. Why? Because this time, I've learned how to.

Throughout his campaign, Gilbert Teodoro was often praised by many, both in the public and private sectors, for his brilliance, integrity, capability and positivity. It was due to these qualities that he received support from me and over 3 million Filipinos across the country. Though we did not soar as high as we wanted to, it was in the few feet above the ground that I, and I'm sure my fellow "Gibonians" will concur, learned valuable lessons in politics, leadership and more importantly, in life.

Of these lessons, here are 10 that I will always remember... and treasure.

1. Stop the negativity! Take responsibility! One of the things Gibo was most commended for was his commitment to maintain a positive campaign throughout the period. Not once did he stoop down to sling the mud back, he would only wipe it off his shoes. His focus was on bringing his voice and platform to all areas of the country, to give us the chance to discern and make the decision based on that knowledge. No matter how dirty the arena had become, everyone still wanted to shake his hand.

2. The world keeps spinning and so should we. "Society does change." Gibo said this in one of his sorties, when he talked about addressing the material needs of people today. In an ideal society, people should be content to live within their means and capabilities. But unfortunately, reality begs to differ. The times, they are a changing, Bob Dylan once sang, and it will continue to do so whether we like it or not. The ability to adapt and adjust can no longer be considered an option, for it is fast becoming a necessity.

3. It's not the what. It's the how. Another thing Gibo was often praised for was his practical take on traditional and modern day issues. His platform attracted many because his proposed policies and solutions seemed "doable". In fact, there were no promises made to put an end to the problems that have been haunting our country for decades, if not centuries. After all, an idea is one thing, but its execution is another entirely.

4. Not all bad grass come from the same seed. We civilians have this idea that all government officials are the same: corrupt, self-serving and power hungry. But after listening to Gibo speak in one of his sorties about how corruption can be eased through incentives and rewards for good behavior, I realized that there still are public servants who actually WANT to serve the public.

5. Shit happens. But you can always clean it up. Throughout his stint as Secretary of National Defense happened two tragedies: the Typhoon Ketsana and Maguindanao massacre. His response to these disasters, while not perfect, was still commended by those who actually knew what the heck was going on. Even during the campaign, when many a time was he frowned upon for these unfortunate events, not once did I hear him point the finger at other people. What I admire is that he took responsibility for his actions and did what was best at the time to appease each situation.

6. There are many things we can compromise. Integrity is not one of them. Being a member of one of the most powerful political machineries in the country, it would have been easy to engage in the crossfire that happened between several of the candidates. Everyone wondered why he refused to denounce his ties to PGMA, even though people were saying they would vote for him if he would. Why not compromise, I, like many other Filipinos thought? Then, during one of his sorties, I heard him say that there is nothing on earth that is worth ruining his father's name, and his son's future. Right then and there, I understood.

7. Freedom, contrary to its root word, is not always free. So don't waste it. We are the only fully democratic country in our region, yet, we are one of the least progressive. This is something I've heard him stress over in many talks and forums. We actually have the right to say when we want change and when we've had enough. Sometimes, we don't appreciate how lucky we are, that we have the freedom of speech, the freedom to choose our religion and elect our leaders. It's up to us to make decisions for our future and the betterment of country. And luckily, it will ALWAYS be up to us.

8. Peace, on the other hand, is always free. So please make use of it. One of the main points of Gibo's platform was, and always will be, peace and unity among our 7,000++ islands. We are a diverse archipelago, rich in culture and heritage, and that is something we should be proud of, not hate. We often hear of the problems in other poor countries when in fact, we have the very same problems right next door. Though it is a very popular answer among aspiring beauty queens, that doesn't make it any less crucial. Peace should always be a priority in this, and any country.

9. The importance of a legacy. Of all the times I've heard him address the people's fear of him playing a puppet to PGMA, Gibo always says one thing: that he is still young. What he meant by this was that if he had been given the chance to lead, after his 6 years in office, he would still have many years to show face for; which he would not jeopardize for his sake, and more importantly, for his family's sake. After all, we can think of many ways to gain money and power, but we only have ONE life to live and ONE legacy to leave.

And last...

10. Love our country. This may be the simplest lesson, but nonetheless, it was something I deeply needed to relearn. In this day and age, we are more exposed to the outside world than ever. I'm not scared to admit that there have been a number of times when I felt ashamed of being a Filipino, in a country so afraid of change and innovation. Ashamed of our penchant for favoring people for who they know over who they are. Ashamed of our blatant backwardness, especially when compared to our neighboring countries. But the moment I heard Gibo speak about his vision for the country stirred in me a feeling of patriotism that I never thought I had. In the few months that I displayed my belief in his candidacy; I had also, willingly, displayed my belief in my country.

Despite the grief I feel for the outcome of this year's elections, strangely, I cannot escape the feeling of hope and pride that continues to swell inside me. Looking through the facebook pages of fellow "Gibonians", it's easy to see that there was something new, exciting and inspiring that was born out of all this. And I know that whatever was awakened in all of us is something that cannot be easily abandoned, or forgotten.

Though he's said before that this is the last time he expects to run for public office, I sincerely hope that for once, he said something he didn't mean. I hope, no, I insist that he runs again in 2016, because he owes all of us the opportunity to see his platform, ideas and vision become our reality. Throughout his campaign, we were introduced to a new breed of politics and contrary to what the new first lady (sorry, it slipped) has said, the Green Team volunteers were NEVER paid.

So Mr. Teodoro, if you ever get to read this, please consider giving us the chance to vote for you again. That is the only payment I seek.

Oh yeah, and thanks for the lessons. :-)

P.S. I'll hopefully be writing mine as well.

Sunday, May 09, 2010

Global Warming: A Quick Review (reposted-Apr1809)

Global Warming. What is it? In layman's terms, it means, "It's freaking hot out here!" Oh yeah!

It actually means "the increase in the average temperature of the Earth's near-surface air and oceans since the mid-twentieth century and its projected continuation." [Wikipedia] It destroys almost everything. It kills most plants like turning forests into wildfires. It causes death to ecosystems. It dehydrates every living thing. It burns your skin. It causes or even activates certain cancer cells, mostly on the skin if you expose yourself so long under direct sunlight (be sure to where protective clothings going out, you may wear sunscreen but a coat would be better. It's hot outside, yes, and you rather wear open clothes. Which is better long suffering with skin ailments or short suffering with the heat because you're using a coat? A thin coat would do, just don't use a winter coat. Duh! And don't use white or light colored coats; UV rays can still pass through.)

Did you know that all those volcanic eruptions, earthquakes (caused by tectonic plates colliding), storms (causing flooding), etc. are all caused by the ongoing severity of global warming? That also includes the spreading of many diseases esp. new brand of diseases/bacteria/viruses. Even the ozone is broken, which makes more sun rays coming in; moreover, the air pollution that's blocking the rays from returning back to space. All these makes the Earth getting hotter & hotter, and, I believe, would no longer get better even if someone would want to try to change the world (wait for the AntiChrist, he would want this. He might try solving the global warming issues & economic or world turmoil issues just to get the attention of people, even religious differences.)

This global warming would get worse as the sun is ageing; it's solar flares are getting bigger (and more of it is made) and sunspots are reborn (Sunspots are intense magnetic fields that cycle back and forth. Magnetic fields are caused by movements of gases from the interior of the sun. Solar flares are, then, caused by sudden magnetic changes. These show the activity of the sun.) Rebirth doesn't mean backing up. It means a new cycle is starting. New activity of the sun. That's more heat on us.

How does the global warming affect the earth's activity? More solar proton storms (just understand this as sun rays), more radiation, more heat. More warming, more disease are spreading, more infectious agents multiplying (and fast). More heat, longer summers, shorter winters. Temperature elevation, more extinction to some flora & fauna (even new species are being discovered because of the climate change and the living conditions). More sun exposure, more water evaporation, more dehydration (droughts, wildfires, physical dehydration), more precipation (rains, storms, floods). More heat from the outside (brought by sun rays), more heat from the inside (by the magma & core underneath the earth), more activity causing tectonic plates to scatter and move about quickly and more collision, and more volcanoes to erupt because of the boiling heat inside the earth. Also more auroras, found even in unusual places like Mexico (auroras appear when the sun is active & when solar winds are stronger). And all these would become worse if the earth is getting hotter and hotter.

Act as puppies do (reposted-Apr1908)


Good for dogs and puppies. They are always shown affection by their owners. While some of the people have never experienced love and care, if not, rarely they do. Those people could be the orphans, the homeless, the widowed, and probably the lonely people.

I envy my dog whenever I give him my affection. He lies on my lap whenever I watch TV and I stroke his fur. I begin to have this thought so I am writing this. I envy my dog because I seek affection. Whenever I feel to be so needy again, I seek for friends to talk to, to be with. If not, their presence already means a lot to me even that I may not be talking to them or share my sorrows to them. However, I do beg myself to share my troubles, but I have a problem explaining because I don't know much how to explain. I may begin to share some, but in the end, I regret because I have not told every detail I wish to tell for I might have missed out or forgotten. I also have trouble getting my friends' attention so I fail to share. Also hard for me to reach my friends so I do have less communication with them even when they are 100% presently near me.

Text messaging, IM-ing, emailing are quite available as tools to reach people, but I prefer to speak personally and infront of a friend I wish to speak to because these tools are very ineffective in communication for I might assume wrongly what the friend is trying to convey unless, of course, that friend lives on the other-side-of-the-world. Besides, not everyone replies to every message I send, so I rather prefer eye-to-eye conversation (webcam? I still don't want it. It's not too personal because your talking infront of the computer.) Yet, I still fail to reach them even though the person is there in front of me. I always get "cold feet". I don't have the guts to go to them so I always have second thoughts going for "the catch".

If only I could be like a dog for almost everything is provided to them. It doesn't have trouble finding people for people are always onto it. It also doesn't doubt going to it's people. It gets what I most certainly ask for: love and care. However, I always remind myself that I can never always have the love and the care. Friends' attention are limitless. Friends are not always everywhere near me. I cannot always have their thoughts on me. However, I always fail to put that reminder in mind.

Nonetheless, as dogs or puppies, we should be like them. We should go to our Master without fear. Rely on Him. Allow Him to take care of us. We should also just take a rest on His lap and let Him give His affection on us. However, the problem with us is that we mostly fail to remember that our Master wants our all to Him. We don't always go to Him when we need Him. We turn away from Him. We set aside His loving caring hands to carry us. We also usually never know He has been trying to pull us back to Him.

God is always so faithful. He never leaves us unloved and uncared. He is not like our friends who rarely have time for us for God is always present and never out-of-reach. When we lose our hope in seeking friends to share, God is waiting for us to call to Him. He never doubts to give His shoulder where we can cry to Him, His bosom where we can lay on Him, His arms where we can receive His embrace. Be at rest, for our Lord and Master is faithful and good. Be still and know He is God.

My Life-lesson: I fail God many times when I am so needy. I seek friends rather than God. Even though I do cry to God my concerns, worries to Him, I still say to Him, "God, I want to talk to someone. If only I could find that someone for I really don't have anyone that much whom I could talk so freely to. God, I have no one to talk to." Whenever, I have come to that point, I just want to lay on God and let Him comfort me. However, I should really just rely on God and let Him do what is best for me whether it may include people or not. Painful it may be to me, I should give myself up to God even if I still fail but seek for friends.

Offended by Jesus

"...someone said to Him, 'Lord, I will follow You wherever You go'" (Luke 9:57)

"Our Lord's attitude toward this man was one of severe discouragement, "for He knew what was in man" (John 2:25). We would have said, "I can't imagine why He lost the opportunity of winning that man! Imagine being so cold to him and turning him away so discouraged!" Never apologize for your Lord. The words of the Lord hurt and offend until there is nothing left to be hurt or offended. Jesus Christ had no tenderness whatsoever toward anything that was ultimately going to ruin a person in his service to God. Our Lord's answers were not based on some whim or impulsive thought, but on the knowledge of "what was in man." If the Spirit of God brings to your mind a word of the Lord that hurts you, you can be sure that there is something in you that he wants to hurt to the point of death." (First paragraph from My Utmost to His Highest by Oswald Chambers)

Remember the story of the rich young man who approached Jesus and asked what he must do to inherit eternal life? (Mark 10:17-22) Jesus didn't say, "If you want eternal life and because I love you, you must pray, Accept me as Lord and Savior, Believe in me, and Confess your sins to me." Jesus didn't also immediately say the ABCs. Jesus did love the man (v.21) but said, "Follow the commandments. Go, sell everything you have." But the man went away sad and feeling offended, "Selling everything I have? This I cannot do. Couldn't there be another way to inherit enternal life than giving away what was meaningful to me? Being rich is my life. I can't throw that life away..."

Whenever we evangelize a person, do we not open the concern about the person than showing him directly the promises of God? Do we not have to catch the heart and mind of the person, his sins, his misery, and his shortcomings, before we open the matter that our sins can be forgiven and that we can have a peace of mind through Jesus Christ?

An offense is open rebuke. It is to cause displeasure in the heart and mind of the person.

"All a man's ways seem innocent to him, but motives are weighed by the Lord." (Prov. 16:2)
"There is a way that seems right to a man, but in the end it leads to death." (Prov. 14:12)
"Many are the plans in a man's heart, but it is the Lord's purpose that prevails." (Prov. 19:21)
"A man's own folly ruins his life, yet his heart rages against the Lord." (Prov. 19:3)
"He who listens to a life-giving rebuke will be at home among the wise. "(Prov. 15:31)
"Listen to advice and accept instruction and in the end you will be wise." (Prov. 19:20)
"He who obeys instructions guards his life, but he who is contemptuous of his ways will die." (Prov. 19:16)
"As iron sharpens iron, so one man sharpens another." (Prov. 27:17)
"Better is open rebuke than hidden love." (Prov. 27:5)

Take an offense from God or from a righteous person God sends as discipline from God. (Heb. 12:1-14)

Take heed!
"A rebuke impresses a man of discernment...Better to meet a bear (a rebuke) robbed of her cubs (our guts, our ways, our hearts, our minds) than a fool in his folly (to continue living like the rich young man)." (Prov. 17:10, 12)

Human Philosophy vs. Jesus (The Truth)

The world is a place of imperfection. Still it's in the nature of man to be or to make things perfect, but being perfect depends on one's own perception or philosophy (many would think it would make them happy when everything is perfect or when they get what they hope for). My natural philosophies are:

To enter an adult life is a lonely life. (I hate growing up.)
When there is no active activity in life, it's a boring life. (I have a boring life.)
Serious people will always be considered serious no matter how funny they are. (People always take me seriously even when I try to be funny. I'm just too serious.)
Plant a bean and will never grow a tree tomorrow. (I could never get what I want when I want.)
A lone island grows trees on it's own without another island's soil and toil. (I'm better off alone. I can work better solo.)
A bow strikes a mark once, twice, thrice, never bringing back the mark in it's proper form. (When I feel rejected, I am not welcome anymore.)
Good and bad coincide. Luck says it all. (Some are just born lucky.)
Encouragement without support is discouraging. (I get encouragement, but I rarely get support. Now that's discouraging.)
ETCETERA

Oprah Winfrey's philosophy, "The more you praise and celebrate your life, the more there is in life to celebrate." (Oprah wishes her happiness to live life to the fullest in her terms.)

Some may be true or not, but this shouldn't make me how I live. Such philosophies are centered on ourselves. We think for ourselves, reason for ourselves, an I AM. (God is the only I AM.) All for myself and none for others. If we all live for ourselves, then we couldn't be living now because nobody cares what we need but their needs only. There shouldn't be shopping malls if people doesn't care what we should wear. Or restaurants. Yes, these things benefit the entrepreneur but they also benefit the consumer. "Why the hell should I do business if it helps others? Ya, it helps me become rich but I want to be rich in my own way without the help of those spenders. Let them earn those goods their way. Why should I share to them my expertise? I want it for my own." (Even inventors share their inventions to the world.)

The world is the way it is. But this isn't our home or my home. I am not my own. Even if people hate me or the things I do, God doesn't condemn me. Even if I think my life is always against me, I can't always find absolute comfort and absolute refuge anywhere whenever I'm losing my grip.

Life is unfair. True. If life is fair, then life is chaos because everybody wants life to work as the way they want it to be.

A perfect person in an imperfect world is impossible. If ever this is true, the person's temper is a raging fire. He would lose his sanity and identity. He wants perfect? He'd be able to kill and annihilate all imperfection (like Hitler did to the Jews and ugly, dumb people to create a super people). What perfect man would wish to live in this imperfect realm?

But there was only One Perfect Person, I know, who lived and had never done like the perfect person above. He was born from the womb of a virgin, conceived by the Holy Spirit of God. He had a temper but a righteous temper. He hated the filth this world had. He knew what was in the hearts of all mankind and knew imperfection cannot be erased from every person living in this planet because it was our nature to be imperfect. He didn't lose his identity and sanity because He knew He was not from here but had work to do for His Father. He didn't kill a murderer, a thief, or a liar, but He had compassion on them, He ministered to them. His job was to teach these lost the Way, Truth, and Life. Taught that it's possible to live a perfect and holy life without our own effort and even having peace in this warred world. He was also here to pay the ransom for our Judgment Day with the Father. To set apart who're His and save from the Father's Wrath. He was Jesus Christ.

I relate my life to Him. Though I am not perfect in nature, He gives me His Life. I can't repay for what He's done for me, but I can show my gratitude to Him by serving Him, being used by Him. I pray to become not my nature but Christ's nature. To live a holy and pleasing life because of Him. To live according to His purpose. To live the things I hate with endurance for Jesus endured living in this sinful world. To learn to love me the way He loves me. To be filled with His Knowledge and not the knowledge of the world which doesn't last long and doom for decay like ourselves.

All those philosophies I have for my life are nothing compared to Christ's Knowledge. Yes, I still feel sad when those philosophies strike me. Those philosophies condemn my self but God could never condemn me. Human philosophies lie the Truth. I pray I stand my ground to which is Truth.

Ex. 3:14; Jn. 3:16, 14:6, 15:9-11; Rom. 3:23, 6:23, 12:2,3; Col. 2:6-8, 3:1-17; READ THE BIBLE, the WORD of God, the KNOWLEDGE of God.